logo
Worcestershire MP backs proposal to cut county in two

Worcestershire MP backs proposal to cut county in two

BBC News20-03-2025
A Worcestershire MP has backed a proposal to split the county in two to form northern and southern council run services.Redditch's Labour MP, Chris Bloore, said a new North Worcestershire authority – made up of Redditch, Bromsgrove and Wyre Forest district councils - would best fit the government's devolution agenda.However, Worcestershire's political leaders appear deadlocked over which option is best.In a separate proposal, Worcestershire County Council has argued replacing the county's seven existing authorities with a single one could save more than £20m a year.
"For towns like Redditch… I don't think we should be going straight to a Worcestershire-wide solution," said Bloore."We're at a time where, if we're honest, Worcestershire County Council is going through a very difficult time. Its delivery of services in certain areas, like children's services, hasn't been the best."And I think we've already seen in Redditch and Bromsgrove that those councils have worked well in shared partnership and delivery of services. So, I'm pretty confident that we could do it again," he said.Under current population figures, a North Worcestershire authority would be home to just under 288,000 people.While criteria set in Labour's English Devolution White Paper stipulate that new unitary councils must serve at least 500,000 people, Bloore said he believed the government would show flexibility.
At the moment, Worcestershire's political leaders appear deadlocked over which option is best.Although Worcestershire County Council and Wyre Forest District Council have argued a single unitary authority is the only option to meet the government's criteria, both Worcester City Council and Malvern Hills District Council have said they would prefer the county be split in two.Three other districts, Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wychavon, said both options needed further exploration."One Worcestershire council would be more effective and efficient," said Simon Geraghty, the Conservative leader of the county council, at a scrutiny meeting on Tuesday.
Life on a new border
A new border would follow existing district council boundaries, cutting right through the village of Astwood Bank, where residents currently live under different district councils – either Redditch or Wychavon – with different rates of council tax and different bin days.But in future, the creation of two new unitary councils could see neighbours receiving different provision for services, such as roads, public transport, social care and libraries."We want the best bang for our buck," said Roy Stanley, who currently lives on the Wychavon side of the village.He said he favoured a single council."At the end of the day we just want decent services for the amount of money that we pay out. I think that's the main thing," he said.
"Actually making an area bigger in terms of local government doesn't always necessarily make it better," said resident Karen Arnold, who said she preferred the idea of splitting the county in two."There's a huge variety in population… and what populations need in this area."And I think if you've got a very large area to cover, it gets very difficult to tailor services to what the actual population needs," she said.With Astwood Bank just a few minutes' drive from the neighbouring county of Warwickshire, resident Katie Taylor-Jones said county boundaries had made local public transport less joined up."We're ten minutes' drive away… we can't get buses very easily between those places. It doesn't encourage us to be able to use public transport," she said."If they kind of stop on a particular road and say, well, that's as far as we're going, because here's the boundary, that makes it complex, I think."While councillors in Worcestershire have until November to submit a business case for proposals to the government, any negotiations are likely to be interrupted by county council elections on 1 May.
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Shadow minister hits back at claims she was in ‘hiding' when with her baby
Shadow minister hits back at claims she was in ‘hiding' when with her baby

Glasgow Times

time34 minutes ago

  • Glasgow Times

Shadow minister hits back at claims she was in ‘hiding' when with her baby

Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said Ed Miliband should reconsider his remarks, claiming it is an attitude faced by many new mothers when they return to work. Mr Miliband had pointed out the Conservative shadow minister's absence on Monday as he gave a statement to the Commons on climate and nature. He said: 'The trouble is we're in a situation now where the shadow secretary of state goes into hiding when there's a statement about the climate crisis, because it's just too embarrassing to try and articulate the opposition's position.' This was followed by energy minister Kerry McCarthy, who also remarked on her prior absence during energy questions on Tuesday. Ms Coutinho had asked her why the Government is 'offshoring' British industries, and replacing them with dirtier imports with higher emissions. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said there was 'no offence intended' with his remarks (PA) Ms McCarthy replied: 'Perhaps if (she) had been here yesterday, she'd have been able to engage with the Secretary of State about that then.' Ms Coutinho later told MPs she had been missing from the Commons as she was looking after her son Rafael. The MP for East Surrey has recently returned to the Commons from maternity leave. Maternity leave for ministers and paid opposition figures, normally shadow secretaries of state, was introduced by the Conservative government in 2021. It entitles them to six months of maternity leave. She upbraided Mr Miliband as she began her questions to him. She said: 'I will just briefly say that yesterday the Secretary of State said I was hiding, when I was in fact with my six-month old baby who I know he's aware of. 'So, on behalf of all young mums who face these kinds of comments from their first few weeks back to work, can I gently suggest that he reflects on his remarks?' Mr Miliband apologised, telling her: 'I completely respect her decision to be with her young baby, and there was no offence intended. I think it's very, very important that we understand the needs of new parents and indeed parents across the country.' Ms Coutinho went on to ask the Government why it is now paying £82 per megawatt hour for offshore wind, up from £72 last year. 'That's the price he's paid for offshore wind, and he's set to do the same this year. And that's before the extra cost for grid for wasted wind and backup which are going through the roof thanks to his policies,' she said. 'Yesterday he admitted to radical honesty, will he either admit that he can't add up or that his policies can't bring down bills?' Mr Miliband said: 'She is gambling on fossil fuels, the same thing she did which led us to the worst cost-of-living crisis in our country's history. 'Family finances wrecked, business finances wrecked and public finances wrecked. The only way to bring down bills for good is cheap, home-grown power that we can control. We have an energy security plan, they have an energy surrender plan.'

Thousands of Afghans were resettled in Britain after a data leak put them in danger
Thousands of Afghans were resettled in Britain after a data leak put them in danger

NBC News

time37 minutes ago

  • NBC News

Thousands of Afghans were resettled in Britain after a data leak put them in danger

LONDON — Thousands of Afghans including many who worked with British forces have been secretly resettled in the U.K. after a leak of data on their identities raised fears that they could be targeted by the Taliban, the British government revealed Tuesday. The government now plans to close the secret route. Defense Secretary John Healey said a dataset containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to come to Britain after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was released in error in 2022, and extracts were later published online. That prompted the then-Conservative government to set up a secret program to resettle the Afghans. The government obtained a court order known as a superinjunction that barred anyone from revealing its existence. The injunction was lifted on Tuesday in conjunction with a decision by Britain's current Labour Party government to make the program public. It said an independent review had found little evidence that the leaked data would expose Afghans to greater risk of retribution from the Taliban. "I have felt deeply concerned about the lack of transparency to Parliament and the public," Healey told lawmakers in the House of Commons. About 4,500 people – 900 applicants and approximately 3,600 family members — have been brought to Britain under the secret program, and about 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the time it closes, at a total cost of 850 million pounds ($1.1 billion). About 36,000 more Afghans have been relocated to the U.K. under other resettlement routes. British troops were sent to Afghanistan as part of a deployment against al-Qaida and Taliban forces in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. At the peak of the operation there were almost 10,000 British troops in the country, mostly in Helmand province in the south. Britain ended combat operations in 2014.

Minister vows ‘improvements' to Internal Market Act
Minister vows ‘improvements' to Internal Market Act

Leader Live

time37 minutes ago

  • Leader Live

Minister vows ‘improvements' to Internal Market Act

Mr Alexander however made clear that ministers have not considered scrapping the Internal Market Act (IMA), with the Scottish Government branding the results of the Westminster review 'completely unacceptable'. Angus Robertson, the Scottish Government's Constitution Secretary, insisted the legislation – which Holyrood has twice voted against – 'undermines' the Scottish Parliament. Mr Alexander however said the UK Government has 'been explicit about the need for businesses to have certainty', saying this is 'why the review has not considered repeal of the Act or any of its provisions'. He said the UK Government has instead 'pledged to explore improvements in the way the Act's provisions operate', adding 'very real concerns' have been raised. Following the UK's departure from the European Union, the then Tory UK government introduced the IMA in order to create a single market across the four nations of the UK. The legislation however caused difficulties for the Scottish Government when it attempted to introduce a deposit return scheme for empty cans and bottles ahead of the rest of the UK. In the wake of the review, the UK Government is promising changes, including the introduction of exclusions to the legislation, that have been agreed by all governments within a common framework. As well as considering economic impacts, issues of environmental protection and public health will also be looked at for exclusions – with the UK Government saying this ensures a 'balance of factors is considered'. Mr Alexander stressed the importance of having a 'well-functioning UK internal market' as part of the Government's 'ambition to improve economic growth for the benefit of businesses and people in all parts of our country'. He added: 'Latest figures show that trade between the four nations of the UK is valued at £129 billion and that it is particularly important to the economies of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.' But Mr Robertson insisted the IMA had been introduced by the previous Conservative government 'without the consent of any devolved government or Parliament'. Speaking about the legislation, he added: 'It undermines the ability of the Scottish Parliament to use its powers to pursue devolved social and economic objectives in Scotland for the people to which it is accountable. 'It introduces radical new uncertainty as to the effect of laws passed by the Scottish Parliament and effectively provides a veto to UK ministers. 'Nothing set out in the UK Government's response to the review changes this position, which is completely unacceptable. 'The conclusion of the review falls well short of our stated position of repeal and replace the Internal Market Act, and indeed short of the legislative change required to mitigate the most damaging aspects of the operation of the IMA. 'It is important also to note that the Scottish Parliament has twice voted to repeal the Act – since it is fundamentally misconceived and incompatible with devolution.' While he said the Scottish Government welcomes the UK Government's intention 'to address some of the most egregious issues with the function of the IMA exclusions process', he added that SNP ministers 'remain concerned that there is no clear vehicle to give meaningful effect to these changes, which work against our shared interests to promote growth, protect jobs and ensure seamless trade across the UK nations'.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store